Guided by activity theory, this study examines the major contradictions in an English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher professional learning community (PLC) established in China through a university--district--school partnership. Multiple sources of data were collected, including interviews, observations, and documents. Data analyses revealed…

In this article, we draw on survey data to investigate associations between Chinese elementary teaching candidates’ mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and their experiences in mathematics courses, mathematics methods courses, and student teaching. In our study, we found that (a) Chinese teaching candidates' completion of courses in number…

For several historical and cultural reasons, the United States has long pursued a strategy of improving teaching by improving teachers. The rarely questioned logic underlying this choice says that by improving the right characteristics of teachers, they will teach more effectively. The authors expose the assumptions on which this logic is built,…

Teacher professional learning communities provide environments in which teachers engage in regular research and collaboration. They have been found effective as a means for connecting professional learning to the day-to-day realities faced by teachers in the classroom. In this article, the authors draw on survey data collected in primary schools…

Before 1949, education was largely ignored in China, but recently it has been given a priority almost equal to modern industrialization. Teacher education reforms have been extensive and varied. These reforms are described, and further challenges are outlined. (MT)

Educational philosophy is in a state of flux in the People's Republic of China since the death of Chairman Mao. (JD)